Summary The Cessna 182, C-GHKH, serial number33353, owned by the Fraser Valley Skydiving Centre Ltd, took off from a private airstrip near Chilliwack, British Columbia, with the pilot and four skydivers on board at approximately 1840 Pacific daylight time. Two skydivers were released at 3000feet and two at 9000feet. The aircraft failed to return to the strip. No emergency locator transmitter signal was received. The Rescue Coordination Centre at Victoria, was notified and a search was initiated. The aircraft was found six days later on a northwest-facing slope of the Skagit mountain range, four nautical miles from the Fraser Valley Skydiving Centre airstrip, at an altitude of about 4600feet above sea level. A fire had broken out on impact and consumed much of the cockpit area and left wing. The aircraft was destroyed. The pilot was fatally injured. Ce rapport est galement disponible en franais. Other Factual Information The pilot held a commercial pilot licence issued by Transport Canada (TC) and endorsed for single-engine land aeroplanes. The medical certificate has a restriction that glasses or contact lenses must be worn while flying and indicates that the last medical was conducted on 05March2003 and was valid for twelve months. The pilot had accumulated approximately 300flying hours on light, single-engine aircraft. During the commercial training course, the pilot completed 30hours of approved instrument ground trainer time and 16.5hours of simulated instrument training time. He began unpaid work for the Fraser Valley Skydiving Centre in November2002 and had accumulated about 40hours on the Cessna182. An autopsy of the pilot, including a full toxicology examination, did not reveal any condition that could have led or contributed to the accident. Records indicate that the aircraft was certified, equipped, and maintained in accordance with existing regulations and approved procedures. The aircraft was manufactured in1956 and had flown a total of 3269.1hours before the accident flight. A review of the airframe, engine, and propellor logbooks showed nothing remarkable. The engine, a ContinentalO-470-L, serial number66321-6-L, had accumulated 652.8hours since overhaul and 4059.7hours since new. The reported weather at Abbotsford, 28nautical miles south-southwest of the accident site, at 1900 Pacific daylight time (PDT)1, approximately the time of the accident, was as follows: wind 230T at 5knots; visibility 25statute miles (sm); a few clouds at 4500feet, scattered clouds at 6000feet, broken clouds at 9000feet, broken clouds at 21000feet; temperature 18C; dew point 8C; altimeter setting30.11; remarks: 2oktas stratocumulus, 2oktas stratocumulus, 2oktas altocumulus, 1okta cirrus, sea level pressure 1019.7hectopascals. The automated weather observation system (AWOS) reported weather at Hope, 21nautical miles (nm) northwest of the accident site at 1900, was as follows: wind 290T at 5knots; visibility 9sm; broken clouds at 5100feet; temperature 16C; dew point 10C; altimeter setting30.09; remarks: sea level pressure 1019.1hectopascals. The graphical area forecast for the Fraser Valley area for 1700, about two hours before the accident, called for the following conditions: patchy broken altocumulus clouds based at 12000feet above sea level (asl) topped at 15000feet asl; scattered towering cumulus clouds based at 7000feet asl, topped at 20000feet asl; prevailing visibility more than 6sm in light rain showers; and local ceilings 1500feet above ground level (agl). The graphical area forecast for 2300, about four hours after the accident, called for improving weather conditions in the Fraser Valley area, with clouds generally broken over the coastal mountains. All four skydivers, who jumped from the aircraft before the accident, observed the presence of low level cloud along the mountains to the southwest of the parachuting area. It was also reported that there were clouds on the tops of the high terrain southeast of the airstrip and haze in the area of the accident site near the time of the occurrence. The wreckage was discovered six days after the accident by a recreational paraglider pilot who was not part of the search and rescue operation. The aircraft had hit tree tops before impacting the 45-degree slope. Tree damage and contact markings indicated that the aircraft struck the tree tops in basically a wings-level attitude, in a slight descent, and at a relatively high speed. Fire consumed most of the left wing and cockpit area, but no soot streaks were seen and only paint bubbling was observed. The fuselage came to rest on a heading of 120degrees magnetic in an inverted attitude. The right wing had separated from the fuselage and was 30feet down the slope. All control surfaces were accounted for. The right wing aileron and flap cables had failed in overload at the wing root. Flight control cable continuity was established for the right wing and rudder but could not be traced up to the cockpit due to the extensive fire damage. Flight control cable continuity for the left wing and elevator could not be established. Nothing was found which would indicate any faults with the flight controls before impact. The engine and propellor were excavated and examined on site. Neither exhibited indications of pre-impact damage. The vacuum pump was found and examined; internal scratches were observed. Partial rotation of the propellor demonstrated aft accessory section continuity through the crankshaft at the alternator drive pulley. The propellor remained attached to the crankshaft flange. Both propellor blades exhibited torsional twisting, S-bending, chord-wise scoring, and leading and trailing edge damage. The airspeed indicator (ASI), vertical speed indicator (VSI) and ELT were removed and shipped to the TSB Engineering Branch Laboratory for analysis. Microscopic examination of the ASI face revealed a paint smear, correlating with the tip of the pointer, indicating an airspeed between 165and 168miles per hour (mph) indicated airspeed (IAS). A pointer smear mark on the VSI face correlated with sector gear tooth damage, indicating a descent rate of 840-880feet per minute. The armed emergency locator transmitter (ELT) sustained impact damage and did not operate. Damage to both the antenna connection and the acceleration switch precluded any possibility of ELT transmissions. Radar data for the area and time of the occurrence was examined. The aircraft did not have a transponder nor was it required to have one. A primary target, believed to be the subject aircraft, was observed at the appropriate time and place manoeuvring in left hand orbits, but due to the lack of a transponder, no positive identification could be made, and only ground speed and heading data were available. The first and last portions of the flight could not be observed because the aircraft was then too low to be detected by radar. The last radar observation showed the aircraft to be on a heading of 010T, altitude unknown, about seven nm northwest of the crash site. The following Engineering Branch report was completed: LP 053/2003 - Instruments Analysis